Riding the WAVE through Spring: HBCU Athletic Conference Updates

March 21, 2025

The HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship was one of a kind. The theme of Family Reunion lived up to its name. From our inaugural Community Tailgate, the cheer and dance showcase, Senior Women Leaders Committee Women in the Leauge Awards, and great competition during the games, this year's tournament set the standard for future championships - and with your support, we will continue raising the bar!

We hope to see you at our last three championships of the year. Join the conference #WhereWinnersThrive, and let's close this year in true HBCUAC fashion.

CHAMPIONSHIP DATES & LOCATIONS
Outdoor Track & Field: April 10-12, Shreveport, LA
Softball: April 22-25, Decatur, AL
Baseball: April 30-May 4, North Little Rock, AR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Troy Mason of Rio Grande (Ohio) has been named the NAIA Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while Christopher Johnson of Stillman (ala.) has been named the NAIA Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week. The duo was selected based on their performances from March 10-16 and were chosen from a pool of conference/Continental Athletic Conference (Independents)/unaffiliated group nominees.

Athletes of the Week are announced on Wednesday on naia.org, Instagram, and X throughout the regular season.

X - @NAIA
Instagram - @PlayNAIA

NAIA Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week

Christopher Johnson, Stillman (Ala.) – SR

Took part in the Falcon Classic
Won the discus with a new meet and program throw of 54.78m
His throw in the Discus is an NAIA "A" standard mark
Won the shot put with a new personal best of 14.12m

For a full archive of the 2025 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track Athletes of the Week, click HERE

Johnson was once again within a second of qualifying for the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Outdoor Track and Field National Championship, finishing the 100-meter hurdles in 15.67. She helped the Lady Wildcats finish third in the 4 x 100-meter relay.

For the second straight week, Tutt-Moutouo nearly posted national championship qualifying distances in the long jump and triple jump. Her leap of 5.25 meters in the long jump was 0.5 meters from the 'B' qualifying standard. She was 0.64 meters from qualifying in the triple jump with a leap of 11.07 meters.

Garrett nearly posted a national championship qualifying time in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 14.65 which was 0.15 seconds from the 'B' qualifying standard. He finished fourth out of 13 runners, which were mostly from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I programs. He also ran on the relay teams. Garrett's performance helped the Wildcats finish seventh out of 13 teams.

Johnson set the Stillman College program record and a Falcons Classic record with a 54.78m discus throw. The distance surpassed the 'A' qualifying standard for the 2025 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Outdoor National Championship. The native of Meridian, Mississippi, also brought home a first-place finish in the shot put with a hurl of 14.12m, which set a personal record.

Bates hit 8-for-13 in five games last week. She scored six runs and drove in nine. Six of her eight hits went for extra bases with five doubles and a triple. Bates recorded seven hits in the three-game series against Voorhees University, helping the Lady Bleu Devils to a sweep. She ranks seventh in the conference with a .638 slugging percentage.

Gress earned a win and didn't allow an earned run in eight innings. In Saturday's series opener, she held Voorhees to an unearned run on four hits and struck out seven. She threw three scoreless innings in the finale and struck out four. Gress ranks second in the HBCUAC with a 3.09 earned-run average and third with 45 strikeouts. This is her second honor.

Jimenez was key in the Knights' winning two of three games over Philander Smith University last weekend. He batted .857 over the course of three games, including going 3-for-3 in the first and third games. He had six runs batted in, one home run and scored six runs. He also did not strike out in his seven at-bats. Jimenez was perfect in the field, making nine putouts and assisting on a double-play.

Dartez was instrumental in the Knights' victory over the Panthers on Sunday afternoon. In 5 innings, he gave up just three hits and no earned runs against 18 batters. He walked one batter and had two strikeouts in a 22-4 victory, which helped the Knights take over first place in the West Division and second in the HBCUAC.

Join us in congratulating three leaders in our conference for being selected to the NAIA Governance and Leadership Academy!
Brea Patterson - University of the Virgin Islands
Shaquille Richardson - University of the Virgin Islands
Iyanla Thigpen - Fisk University

The NAIA Governance and Leadership Academy (GLA) provides training to minority and female athletics administrators focused on NAIA governance, committee work, strategic initiatives, and leadership acumen.

GLA attendance is capped at 50 participants, with each conference sending two individuals. Any minority or female working within athletics, regardless of title, can be nominated by their institution and selected by their conference to attend. This includes administrators, staff, coaches, and graduate assistants; undergraduate students will not be accepted unless they work in the athletics department as staff members, administrators, or coaches.

The Annual Governance and Leadership Academy is typically held in conjunction with the NAIA National Convention.

We love shining light on the student-athletes who pour their all into their academic and athletic journeys. In celebration of Women's History Month, Fisk University Athletics recognized the accomplishments of several women athletes. Click the links to read the articles on fiskathletics.com.

Women's History Month Spotlight – Taiyonni Hill Uses Mamba Mentality to Earn Prestigious NBA Summer Internship
Women's History Month Spotlight – Naimah Muhammad

Black College Nines Top 10 features three HBCUAC schools, with another receiving votes

Black College Nines released its second poll of the season and three HBCUAC schools are ranked in the Small School Division Top 10:
No. 1 Talladega College
No. 4 Wiley College
No. 8 Dillard University
SUNO also received votes for the Top 10.

From BlackCollegeNines.com:
The small school Top 10 poll will have national implications throughout the 2025 regular season which will lead to HBCU baseball programs competing for a national title in the fifth annual Black College World Series scheduled for May 7-10, 2025, at Rockabillys Stadium (home of the Jackson Rockabillys) in Jackson, Tennessee.

Black College Nines HBCU Baseball Ranking Committee determines the Top 10 rankings for both large schools and small schools.

Records indicated are through March 16, 2025.

The voting committee is made up of an informed and impartial group of individuals who follow college baseball on all levels, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) baseball. Included in the group are college athletic administrators and educators, college baseball writers and other sports journalists and broadcasters, former HBCU and other college ballplayers and above all else… college baseball enthusiasts who have an interest in promoting HBCU baseball.

As the college baseball season concludes, champions are named in two divisions… the "large school" division will is composed of the 17 HBCU schools representing NCAA Division I and a "small school" division made up of the 37 HBCU schools with NCAA Division II, NAIA and NCCAA status.